Year 6, Day 28: Isaiah 44

Theological Commentary: Click Here

Discipleship Focus: Up

• Up: Up is the word we use for what we worship.  If we are following God’s will, God will occupy the Up position.  Our life, our identity, our mission, our family on mission is all derived from Up.  This is why God needs to be in our Up position.

This chapter of Isaiah is one of my favorite passages in the whole Bible with respect to idolatry.  It begins with such a great series of verses illustrating the greatness of God.  He has formed us in the womb.  He will pour out His Spirit upon us.  Who is anywhere close to being like Him?  He has been before all people and seen all people.  Who among mankind can say that?  He is our rock.  Of course we should worship Him.

The end of this chapter is a great passage about redemption.  He blots out our transgressions.  He accepts our return even though we rejected Him.  He makes it possible for our offspring to rise up even though we may be trampled down.  Again, why wouldn’t we worship Him?

But for me, what really makes this passage outstanding is the section in the middle.  Here God mocks our idolatry.  An ironsmith takes iron and fashions it into some sturdy object of our worship.  But if the ironsmith doesn’t eat or drink, what happens to his strength?  How can anything made by a man who faints after a few hours of lack of nourishment have any real power?  Or what about the carpenter?  He cuts down a tree.  With part of the wood he burns a fire to keep warm and it is destroyed.  With another part of wood he makes an idol.  How can anything that doesn’t have the power to protect itself against being burned have any great lasting power?  Even more reason why we should worship God.  Is any fruit of our own hands really worth our worship?

But for me what makes this chapter brilliant is how Isaiah uses his manner of writing to make his point.  When Isaiah talks about God, he is writing in his traditional poetic verse.  But to contrast our human idolatry, Isaiah suddenly turns to prose.  His point is clear.  God should be the subject of our worship.

<><